Steve Paterson & Frank Gilfeather

Steve Paterson was set for fame and stardom with Manchester United in the 1970s, but from the age of sixteen he became gripped by an addiction to gambling before descending into alcoholism and debt. He became a soccer mercenary in Hong Kong, Australia and Japan, but his gambling and ruinous lifestyle followed him everywhere. Despite his personal problems, Paterson became a successful football manager, first in the Highland League and then, leading Inverness Caledonian Thistle all the way to the brink of promotion to the Premier League before taking the reins at Aberdeen Football Club from which he was sacked as his drinking and gambling escalated. By then, he had spent more than £1m on gambling over a 30 years period and racked up thousands of pounds worth of debt.

In November 2008 Paterson decided to confront his addictions and booked into the famous Sporting Chance Clinic in Hampshire. He has now turned his life around and today works as a social worker helping youngsters in the north of Scotland.

Frank Gilfeather is a journalist and broadcaster and has written news and sport for all of the UK’s leading newspapers over a period of more than 40 years. He currently covers football for The Times, The Herald and the Sunday Herald and writes a weekly current affairs column for the Aberdeen Evening Express. In addition, he covers football stories for Sky Sports News and hosts a weekly non-sports phone-in programme on the radio station, Northsound 2.